Losing my marbles?

[painismysecondname]

Hi everyone, I thought it was time I sought help.

The issue is I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 50 years, and now suffer from neuropathy of the hands and feet, glaucoma, Brittle diabetes and gastroparesis.

A few years ago, (early 2000s), I had an MRI scan which showed lots of brain plaques and I was warned that I might have issues later on in life.

Over the past couple of years, I have had the occasional lapse in memory, which usually resolved on its own. It has suddenly gotten worse.

I woke up one morning, had a shower, went to my underwear drawer, opened it and could not remember what to do with my knickers; I forget words, and describe the objects instead. I sometimes cannot understand what is being said to me, or I speak absolute gibberish. This distresses me because I have (or had) a good brain. In my younger days (I am now 54), I excelled at exams because I scored top marks without having to study. Now I sometimes forget my kid's name, so I call her Baby.

My character is changing, to my utter distress. I appear to have to have no control over my emotions. I used to be a cool, calm, easy going person. I now get into fights with strangers at the vets because they said something unflattering about my dog.

My handwriting has changed, and I can no longer spell. I can no longer concentrate on a task ( you don't want to know how long it took for me to write this piece!) The problem is, during my "senior moments", I feel perfectly fine and believe my actions to be logical. The distress comes later, when I realise what I did.

Question is; what do I do about this? Help!!

[Hidden]

This must be so distressing. I had an MRI many years ago and now have Parkinson’s Disease (as well as Type 2 Diabetes). Because of the plaques, I am at risk Lewy Body Dementia. I get my mini mental state checked at my annual Neurology appointments.

My advice would be to speak to your GP and, if appropriate, ask for a referral to a neurologist. If you are able to get to London, UK you might want to ask for a referral to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

[painismysecondname in reply to Hidden]

I am in Oxfordshire.

Going to London, I'll have to ask my girl to drive me as I lost my driving license last year because I have lost all hypo warning signs/hypo awareness. I will ask my GP if I could be referred to the NHNN.

Thanks for your helpful advice.

[Hidden in reply to painismysecondname]

Not a problem. I travel down by train from Lincolnshire. I was diagnosed there and, 10 years later, I have just gone onto annual reviews.

[painismysecondname]

Thanks for your input.

The problem with low-carbing is it does not sit well with gastroparesis.

I will give it a go and see how I get on.

[painismysecondname]

As a result of gastroparesis, my stomach cannot handle fibre.

I have to have soft, near liquid food (ughhh!) when it's particularly bad.

I do love my veg, though, so I think I will increase the veg and cut down on the carbs.